Le Devoir
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| Type | Daily newspaper |
| Format | Broadsheet |
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| Owner | Independent |
| Founded | 1910 |
| Political allegiance | Social democracy, Quebec sovereignty |
| Headquarters | 2050 de Bleury, Montreal |
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| Website: www.ledevoir.com | |
Le Devoir is a French-language newspaper published in Montreal and distributed in Quebec and the rest of Canada. It was founded by journalist, politician and nationalist Henri Bourassa in 1910. It is a respected, intellectual, newspaper of record of sorts in Quebec.
In recent times, Le Devoir has favoured sovereignty for Quebec and social democracy. It is noted for being the only independent large-circulation newspaper in Quebec, amongst a market dominated by the media conglomerates of Gesca (including La Presse) and Quebecor (including Le Journal de Montréal).
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[edit] History
Henri Bourassa had resigned from the Liberal Party of Canada in 1910 after opposing Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier's decision to construct an independent Canadian Navy. He then created Le Devoir as an outlet for Quebec nationalism, the first issue appearing on January 10, 1910. During World War I, Bourassa criticized the adoption of conscription (see Conscription Crisis of 1917).
Bourassa headed the newspaper until August 3, 1932 when he was replaced by Georges Pelletier. The newspaper continued to speak for Quebec nationalists. During the troubled 1930s, Le Devoir widely opened its page to now-controversial priest and historian Lionel Groulx and his followers. During World War II, it again opposed conscription (see Conscription Crisis of 1944).
After the death of Pelletier in early 1947, Gérard Filion, ex-editor of La Terre de chez Nous became editor of Le Devoir. In the 1950s, journalists such as André Laurendeau wrote sharp criticism of Quebec Premier Maurice Duplessis. Claude Ryan took the helm in 1964. Despite being a federalist, he took position in favour of the election of René Lévesque and the Parti Québécois, against Robert Bourassa and the Liberal Party of Quebec for the 1976 election. He left in 1978 to pursue a career in politics and lead the same Liberal Party.
[edit] Business
It has a relatively low circulation of about 26,000 on weekdays and 44,000 on Saturdays, but is widely considered very influential and the most respected intellectual newspaper of Quebec. Its financial situation has often been precarious, and recent years are no exception: in 2002, it had revenues of $14,376,530, with a meagre profit of $13,524, while the previous year it had made a small loss.
[edit] Other information
The newspaper's slogan is "Fais ce que dois" (Do what you must). "Le Devoir" means "the duty" in French. In 1993 and 1994, the Society of News Design called Le Devoir the world's most beautiful newspaper.
[edit] Editors-in-chief
- Henri Bourassa (1910–1932)
- Georges Pelletier (1932–1947)
- Gérard Filion (1947–1963)
- Claude Ryan (1963–1978)
- Jean-Louis Roy (1980–1986)
- Benoît Lauzière (1986–1990)
- Lise Bissonnette (1990–1998)
- Bernard Descôteaux (1999–current)
[edit] Contributors
Notable contributors have included the following.
- Stephane Baillargeon
- Pierre Bourgault
- Sylvain Cormier
- Gil Courtemanche
- Michel David
- Fabien Deglise
- Jean Dion
- Chantal Hébert
- Normand Hudon
- Pierre Laporte
- André Laurendeau
- Jean-Marc Léger
- Gilles Marcotte
- Christian Rioux
- Michel Roy
- Paul Sauriol
- Michel Venne
[edit] See also
[edit] External link
- Le Devoir homepage (in French)
